I have to go back to work today I like my job, but with less than 5 weeks til summer, I got spring fever. I am starting the day with a meeting so I want to post now. 182 over - not bad. The scale is still up. I drank my water. I don't know. Sat was bad. I failed at eating cleaning this weekend. :laugh: but I'm not done with it yet. Sat showed me that one bad choice leads to another - for me.

2 week challenge
1. Workout 6 days with two doubles - I usually do 30ish minutes
2. Eat cleanish- 2 small cheats
3. PROTEIN - I was low this week

I don't know what else. I did some research on losing fat without muscle. One article said IF with minimal cardio. Another article said 5 mini meals and intense cardio. No wonder there are so many over weight people!

Hey ladies. I was on track for a really good week. Got a lot of workouts in (2 days of running, 1 day of circuits, 6 week 6 pack, and 45 minutes of biking with Daphne), ate reasonably on days I drank, but Sunday was a big fail. In addition to no workout (I chose sun and book over running), I ate a lot, and drank quite a bit too. I CAN NOT do all weekend free for all. Two days max. So I know what to do. I'm over Easter. I have 2 more "cheat" events - Derby and Memorial Day. But I can still make my goals. Despite all the junk, I feel surprisingly good today! Well mostly good. I'm still motivated.

GOALS:
1. Stay within my drink limit
2. 5 workouts
3. Log throughout the weekend so I know where I stand in regards to my weekly goal

I have been bad about logging weekends. I back log, but that does little to deter me from overeating day of in order to meet my 10,000 weekly goal. I was about 700 over last week. Let's have a great week!

I was 1243 over last week so bronze star. Not great. But, my workouts were very good last week. I got in my 3 days of Chalean and 3 runs. And a good 2 mile walk. But, my carbs were 43% and my goal is 30% so I need to work on that.

No star for me!! Although my eating was fine, I don't usually drink and, whatever happened this weekend (too much company in the house; my parents insisting on "happy hours" throughout, giggling until wee hours....) I DRANK TONS OF ALCOHOL.

Somehow, i avoided hangovers, although I have no idea how!!

Anyway, I am totally low-carbing it this week because I feel so bloated and awful. Easter was totally fun and I really had a great time, but I feel like road sludge now and it is less than 3 weeks to Europe!!

So, MY 2.5-week-challenge will be:

1. LOW carbs. At least for week 1 and hopefully for the last 1/2 of the 3rd week, too.
2. WATER, WATER, WATER
3. At least 3 x lifting and 1 x cardio

I am back to only jumping on the scale 1 x per week....I can't seem to manage the 1 x per month without feeling lost and koo-koo when I finally do jump on it!

Keep those *star* challenge reports coming in!

BOOM!

I am off to London from May 10 - 15 and Paris from May 15 - 18!! My best childhood girlfriend is backpacking through Europe for the month of May, with her 2 oldest daughters (aged 21 and 20).

I cannot take a month of work (....remain shocked that my gf can....), nor do I want to do the 'backpacking' thing....but, I did insert myself into the URBAN part of their trip!

They will meet me in London on May 11th - I arrive one day before them because they will have already been in Europe for a week, touring Scotland, and I want to recoup from jet lag! And then, when I leave Paris, I leave the day before they train off to Spain!

I am VERY looking forward to this trip!! I haven't been to Europe in 14 years, and I haven't seen London or Paris in 15 years, so it is W-A-Y overdue!!

I remember my husband and I saying to each other, when we were honeymooning in Italy 14 years ago...."we will, for sure, return to Europe every 2 years. FOR SURE"....so, here we are, 14 years later, lookin' at each other going, "wth?!?!? WHERE did the time go (having kids....) and WHAT HAPPENED to our VACATION PLANS?!?!?!"

Anyway, while I am away with ladies, my husband is taking a buddy and heading down to Bonaire (about 90 km north of Venezuela, so I am told...) to go scuba-diving!

These trips were all planned, and (mostly) paid for BEFORE the "great BRACES project" descended on us....so, while excited, we are also feeling VERY BROKE and I am trying NOT to let THAT spoil the fun trip I am supposed to be having!!

I've never been to Europe. Eric went when he was a kid as he was the way youngest of 10, so by the time his parents were retired and ready to travel, he was still in the house. I will go to Italy. And a lot of other palces, but Italy is on my bucket list. I suspect we won't get to do much European traveling until kids are out of the house. Considering we only have one of the two or three we plan on, it'll be while.....

Beeps too funny. Sounds like your parents and my parents (and me for that matter....) would get along!

So we haven't done a question in a while. What's in your top 5 on your bucket list?

1. Skydive
2. Italy
3. Hike part of the Appalachian Trail (like big enough to warrant backpacking and camping for around a week)
4. Tour the country in an RV traveling to art shows and selling stuff we make (we're crafty) for about a year
5. Live on a beach for some extended time period

I don't even have a bucket list!!! I dunno, I don't seem very imaginative and I have never actually sat down and thought about it. I do know that we were given a book, for our wedding, titled "40 places to see before you die..." and we have seen ZERO of them. Now we have already used up 14 years of our precious time together, and even at 1 place per year, that means I'll be 85 the year I complete them!

Too intimidating! I just stick the book at the bottom of the "unread" pile and leave it at that, lol!!

Amy - a very good gf of mine moved to New Z. in fall, 2013 and LOVES it! She had the WORST 2013 EVER - her mother died, she lost her job AND her house got flooded in the Calgary floods....so, she picked up and went to New Z to visit with a sister that she reconnected with at the time of her mother's death.

Since her arrival, she has found an AWESOME job, a GREAT room-mate, she is dating and toodling around and is HAPPY as a pig in mud!

I totally want to see New Z - and Australia, too! And, watching Wills and Kate and Georgie do their thing down under is REALLY making me smile!

Lots to catch up on!!

First off, I don't think I got a star this week, i didn't log this weekend but I know I went WAY over! Oops

I'm so jealous of your trip Beeps!! You'll have a blast

I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Florence when I was in college, it was the most amazing time of my life! While I was there we traveled to Rome, Venice, Sienna, Perugia, Lucca, Amalfi Coast (amazing, highly highly recommend!), Milan, and then outside of Italy I went to Cork, Dublin & Galway in Ireland (beautiful!), London and Barcelona. Then a year later when my fiance (then bf) was studying abroad in Germany I went to visit him there (northern Germany) and then we went to Florence again and then to Majorca, Spain. I can't wait to go back though! I would love to go to Greece and back to Italy. I definitely want to go to Paris and Croatia as well! Maybe that will be a trip after we get married

Shanaber, that trip you took sounds amazing too! That's awesome that you get to travel for work sometimes, I definitely don't get to do that!!

I don't really have a bucket list though, mainly to travel more and have a family eventually!!

You ladies are some traveling fools! Nice! I have only been out of the country twice to Jamaica, once on a Carribean cruise, and twice to Mexico. Clearly I need to get out more. However I have seen much of the US, 26 of the states. I just counted. I have not been to the northwest, but would love to go. I haven't seen much of the southwest either; just went to Phoenix for the first time a couple months ago. And I'd really like to see more of the northeast too. The midwest.....ehh......

I had a good day yesterday. I ate under calories (I won't say well because I had tortilla chips with my Qdoba lunch and my macros were high in carbs and fat and lower in protein). I ran almost 2 miles with a stroller at a 9.5 minute pace, which is super fast for my stroller runs. And D woke up at 5:30 this morning briefly and I never went back to bed so I got out of bed and did 6 week 6 pack! It's nice to have it done.

Another goal I want to work on is my macros. I aim for 40/30/30, but usually end up for the week more like a 45/30/25 or less protein sometimes.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to do a weigh in this week or keep it at every other week.

I was also thinking that it's about time to start incorporating strength training back in. I think after this week I am going to shoot for two 30 minute sessions a week of total body stuff. Not necessarily super heavy 5x5 type lifting, maybe some of that, but really whatever I am feeling, but focusing on total body. I'm a little afraid that I may have lost a teensy bit of muscle during my lifting hiatus which could have resulted in some of my recent weight loss. Maybe not....I do feel like my sides are a little less squishy. Anyways, I'll finish this week out with some running, my circuits class, maybe a kettlebell workout and I need to get back on deadlifts. I was doing good with my Sunday work on them, and I've skipped the last 2 weeks.

Have a great day! I'm off tomorrow and hope to enjoy some sunshine!

We have friends getting married in June and they are going to Greece and Italy for 2 weeks for their honeymoon but when I got married I didn't want to plan a wedding and a trip to Europe, so we just did 5 days in Mexico with a swim-up suite, all inclusive. We did an excursion but mostly it was just lounging which is nice after all the wedding festivities. and cheaper!

We went to Jamaica for both of our honeymoons (and got married there once too). Same deal....all inclusive, swim up bar, very little but lounging. Especially the second. We didn't leave the resort once. I want to go back.....